A message from the Rev’d Amanda Collinson

Posted by Admin on 25 May 2021, 9:47 pm

Amanda Collinson

Priest-in-Charge

St John the Baptist Church

Northwood.

Tel: 01983 294913

HELLO THERE!

So, it is June and we find ourselves half way through the year… however it certainly doesn’t feel like that to me, I don’t know about you?! And to be honest the weather recently has not been convincing me that we are in the season of Spring, let alone Summer. And yet meteorologically that is where we find ourselves now – in Summer and on the 21st of June it will be ‘midsummer’ or the Summer Solstice.

It perhaps may not be the day of partying and freedom from COVID restrictions that we have all hoped and anticipated it would be (well that is what the message is at the time of me writing this letter) but it will still be an important day, for the world if not the COVID roadmap …

For us in the UK this is the day when the North pole has the maximum tilt towards the sun. There are many historic events that occur around this special day. Stonehenge is famous around the world for Druids and Pagans coming to witness the perfectly aligned sunrise through the stones, but around our own country certain areas are reviving Summer Solstice processions and plays, while bonfires are still typical in Cornwall and Ireland. Spain also sees many Bonfires and firework displays around the country, whilst Austria comes together to light hundreds of mountain fires to mark this magical time. Latvia sees this special annual event typically accompanied by plenty of parties, cheese, and beer, as well as some possibly ill-advised leaping over the bonfires that are kept burning all night long. Iceland, on the other hand, celebrates their 21 hours of daylight by throwing a huge three-day party!!

I always dwell on it and remind myself that the world is on a moveable axis and not like the globe I used to have when I was a young girl which was fixed upright. At least nowadays they have them positioned at an angle. More significantly though, I reflect that the world ‘spins’ not just on a physical axis but also on many, many others – we are not just in the Northern Hemisphere on an axis.

We have had the axis of colour and faith recently brought to the front of our minds with the Black Lives Matter campaign and the conflict in Israel and Palestine. There is the axis of the developed countries and developing countries – where there is huge difference between those countries who have medical resources, the number of hospital beds and vaccinations for all and those who do not.

On a smaller scale there is the axis of the poor and affluent in our own country with the government setting out a new initiative last month to ‘Level Up’ the country with the focus on improving living standards, investing in essential public services, and increasing access to opportunities so people can thrive no matter where they live. If this works, the axis, or perhaps the spectrum will be shortened, which can only be a good thing for everyone.

There are so many different types of axes in our lives, so where we always remain fixed in one point, like our race, but others where we move up or down the axis be it health or age. So, which one of these particular lines is affecting you the most at the moment? Is it the old and young axis where you are moving along the line quicker than you would like? The healthy versus the unwell one? The married and single/widowed one? The list is endless …

I know that in many of my struggles through my life I have tried to get to the middle of the ‘line’ that I was dealing with, becoming more in balance, not staying at either extreme where you feel out of control or ‘off kilter’ hoping that will help me cope. Similarly, when life is going along normally, we all want to blend in, to have a gentle ride, to experience peace and comfort and again that may mean a desire to be ‘central’. But we must realise that in the central comfortable areas ‘Great things never come from comfort zones.’

Comfort zones are where your unrealized dreams are buried. Comfort zones are the enemies of achievement and inspiration. Only when you step outside your comfort zone can you truly reach your potential.

I know this may all sound like inspirational jargon to you, but I think of Corrie and her sister Betsie Ten Boom, two middle-aged women who hid Jews in their home during the Second World War, saving hundreds of families; Rosa Parks who refused to stand up on a bus; or simply the child or adult who stands up to a bully at school or work and says enough is enough. They all stepped out of their comfort zones, from their safety and security and by doing so made the world a better place.

So, I want you to take heart – the ends of the axis are sometimes the exciting places, the place where great things happen or where you reach your potential. And even if you are there not through your own doing and are struggling, know that you are not alone – remember when things are the darkest, Gods shines his light the brightest!

With love, blessings and legal hugs to you all !!

Rev’d Amanda

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